Expedition Africa

So Matthew and I have a new favorite show for the summer. Just click on the title, "Expedition Africa" and you can see a preview. Mark Burnett (the guy who created "Survivor") has teamed up with the History Channel to produce a show based on the journey Henry Stanley took to find the famous "explorer" David Livingstone. I put "explorer" in parenthesis because David Livingstone was actually a great missionary from the 19th century.

I had the privilege to visit a missionary family, Dan & Janet McBride this past February. They live outside of Bagamoyo, Tanzania where "Expedition Africa" starts. It's a notorious town because it was the main port of Western Africa for transporting slaves to the Middle East and Asia. It was a heartbreaking visit.

What the History Channel doesn't tell you is that David Livingstone, the famous African missionary, was instrumental in fighting slavery in Western Africa. He was well loved by the Africans. When he died, they shipped his body back to England but buried his heart under a Baobab in Africa. They said that his body may be in England but his heart belonged to Africa.

We love the show because we're fascinated with expeditions, Africa and fighting the elements (hey, we're big "Man vs. Wild" fans). It's also a great study in leadership. There are four main people trying to replicate Stanley's journey. Three of them have extensive experience in extreme conditions as well as traveling in Africa. Three experts mean 33 opinions. We have a great time debriefing their decisions. Seeing Africa is bonus.